ROK, US launch annual drills despite warning

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea and the United States launched major annual military exercises on Monday, as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea said it was ready for war over what it termed a reckless provocation.

"The reckless war drills targeting the army and people of the DPRK, who are in the mourning period, amount to a grave provocation," said a DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman, referring to the death of leader Kim Jong-il.

The spokesman denounced the timing of the exercises, days after US and DPRK officials held talks in Beijing. Pyongyang "is fully ready for both dialogue and war", he told the Korean Central News Agency.